Lee County Republicans swept the race for the local Board of Education on Tuesday and held on to their slim majority on the local Board of Commissioners despite Democrats winning two of the three available seats.
Republican Megan Garner led the school board ticket with 14,395 votes, followed by Republican Cindy Ortiz with 14,205, incumbent Republican Sherry Womack with 13,985, and Republican Carla Hooker with 13,624. The top four vote getters won seats.
Incumbent Democrat Patrick Kelly was in fifth with 13,304 votes, former Lee County Schools Teacher of the Year and Democrat Katie Eddings had 11,194 votes, incumbent Democrat Jamey Laudate got 11,817 votes, and Democrat Shonda Ray earned 11,656 votes.
The election creates a 7-0 majority on the school board, with the four winners joining Republicans Alan Rummel, Chris Gaster and Eric Davidson.
On the Board of Commissioners, Republican newcomer Samantha Martin led the ticket with 14,247 votes, while incumbent Democrats Mark Lovick and Cameron Sharpe came in second and third, respectively. Lovick earned 13,717 votes and Sharpe got 13,417. The top three vote getters in that race won seats.
Republican David Smoak came in fourth place with 13,174 votes, Democrat Bob Joyce was fifth with 13,088, and Republican Bob Quilty came in sixth with 13,056.
Martin replaces Republican Commissioner Bill Carver, who didn’t seek re-election, and Lovick and Sharpe retain their seats. With Republican commissioners Andre Knecht, Kirk Smith and Taylor Vorbeck, and Democratic Commissioner Robert Reives Sr., the board retains its 4-3 Republican majority.
Democrat Pam Britt was unopposed in her re-election bid for the Lee County Register of Deeds, and Tommy Dalrymple was re-elected as a Lee County Soil and Water Commissioner with 19,720 votes.
Pray for our schools.
I have been, that’s why it went RED!
It has been red since 2018.
Maybe now schools will focus on education not indoctrination. Praying God gets put back in the schools.
Religion is indoctrination.
Who’s pushing religion in school?
The Republicans have been in charge of the school board since 2018. Which God do you want students to be force to pray to? I hope you do know students can pray anytime they want. They just cannot be forced to and teachers cannot lead it because it would make students feel like they have to participate due to the teacher leading it.
How do you know what students think or may think?
What a beautiful RED wave!!! The Republic has been saved!!!!!!!!
So proud of our community
Noone has suggested religion be infused into the curriculum. What is needed is to get back to educating our students in History, Writing, and Math and cut the crap. It is not a school’s place to indoctrinate personal beliefs onto our children. Teaching respect and manners is one thing but pushing a DEI agenda is wrong. Start focusing on what’s right, infuse great, talented teachers into the public school system and take the rest home.
100% right. The teachers are victims of the leftist “education” system. They teach as and what they are taught. The NEA needs to be refunded and dismantled.
What is DEI? I am in the schools all the time and never have seen a class called DEI. If it is running rampant why haven’t the Republican school board done anything about it since they have been in charge the last six years?
What are you doing in the schools all the time? LOLing can ruin young minds. Maybe “LOL” is DEI in disguise and you can’t see it.
So for those screaming we teachers are pushing a DEI agenda and that the school board makes us teach certain things that indoctrinate yiur kids….how about you step into a classroom and see what really happens. You get your information from people online who seek your attention and will make you believe anything. You are the ones who are indoctrinated. So help us feed our hungry kids, and protect them instead of spewing hate towards the ones who love them.
I did not hear hate spewing or teacher blaming at all. I’m in Education and know we have hungry kids and every other horrible thing a child can go through so chill out. The comment simply stated go back to teaching basics and hire more of you great teachers and leave the rest of the agenda at home. I don’t have time for learning everything online because I’m working with your (yiur?) kids!
This question is not to blame teachers, but for clarity and solutions. Why are our kids not learning to read and write and arithmetic at their grade level? This is the the reason for getting a basic education. Where is the miss?
If this is the case why did you vote for Republicans? They have been in charge of the Lee school board for six years and have not done anything to improve this.
LoL. I didn’t vote for Republicans in Lee County. Why are students deficient in basic reading, grammar and math?